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AFL must change its drugs policy

09/01/2010 01:56:48 AM

The AFL should be scrambling to revisit its illicit drugs policy in the wake of Travis Tuck's drug overdose, with the league fortunate Tuck's mistake did not prove fatal.

The AFL may have had the best intentions when it came to setting up its current policy along with the players, who were keen to protect the privacy of any of their colleagues who would fail an illicit drug test.

But the fact that the Hawks doctor was the only other person at the club besides Tuck aware that he was sitting on two strikes could have had disastrous consequences, with the 23-year-old found unconscious in his car last Friday.

Battling clinical depression, Tuck reportedly suffered his overdose after being told that he would not be playing for the Box Hill Hawks in their final on the weekend but it was not until nearly 24 hours later that he informed club officials of the incident.

At the very latest, those club officials should have been aware of his problem after his second strike but instead it was left to the club doctor, other medical experts and Tuck's family to try and help him overcome his personal issues.

AFL No.2 Adrian Anderson claims that rather than make any changes to it, the policy should be applauded because he believes Tuck would not have been diagnosed with depression in the first place were it not for his earlier positive tests.

But he also chooses to ignore the fact that had more people at the club been aware of all the issues Tuck was dealing with he could have received even more support, especially at a time like Friday when he obviously took it hard when told the news of his omission from the Box Hill side.

Had Tuck suffered any serious physical problems as a result of his overdose, or even worse died from it, the issue would have been far more embarrassing for the league.

That's not to say that it would have been the AFL's fault, far from it, because Tuck is ultimately responsible for his own actions but it would not have been a great look for the league had the results been more dire.

A bloke that retired from the game on Sunday, Ben Cousins, would also no doubt have observed the developments of the past couple of days with plenty of interest after being suspended for 12 months for bringing the game into disrepute even though he never failed a drug test.

Anderson made the point that his and Tuck's cases are different because Tuck was not a recreational drug user but has had a problem with illegal substances because of his clinical depression but the fact remains he has now effectively tested positive three times and been banned for only 12 weeks.

Developing a policy to cover a host of clubs and more than 700 players is obviously a difficult process but surely it is incumbent on the AFL and the players' association to rethink some aspects and consider involving more people from a club when a player tests positive a second time.

 
Photograph Copyright : Getty Images
Comments
Posted by Murray at
01/09/2010 04:17 PM
Tuck could just as easily have been in the very same predicament with no previous strikes. You cannot legislate for illness and/or misadventure, only try to deal with it as well as possible for the well being of the person involved when it happens. This is not about perception, it is about effective (re)action.
Posted by 40 Degrees S at
02/09/2010 10:42 AM
Until the AFL's claims that its policy is endorsed by health & legal experts is disproven, there should be no change; moreover, is one motivation for this sort of media pressure due to a desire for easy access to headlines & stories?

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